Love Letters XOX
by Arken47
Summary: It started off being a love letter to be passed to Jenny. Instead, Randy gets a hold of it, reads it, and writes /back/, impersonating Jenny as a joke. The joke continues for maybe a week, with Nate pouring his heart out into his letters, unknowing of the respondent. Meanwhile, Randy is starting to realize that Nate is... Really... Really... Cute? WAIT, WHAT! RandyXNate
1. The First Note

**AN: This Fic is dedicated to Glaciem Pythonissam, who inspired me to write about this pairing, and who's also been an encouraging and helpful fellow fan of these two. :3 Also, I haven't read Big Nate in a while, so forgive me if anyone/thing is OOC, I really did try my best, and I did some research before hand. You should know that I probably won't be updating consistently, but I will when I can. Starts off slow. Sorry the first chapter is kind of short; I wrote it up on my phone. This fic will probably be mostly fluff, although I might throw in a bit of plot twist if I'm feeling up for it.**

 **Also! A note for Phoenixash000! (My bro)This pairing WILL NOT ruin Big Nate for you! This fic is meant to be very amusing, and I'm trying to stick to cannon and have people be in character as much as possible. Thanks for reading Y'all! Please leave reviews! 3**

Everyone comes across a weirdo at least once in their life. At least, that's what Jenny speculated. _Some just don't leave you alone_ , she thought, annoyed, as she saw the note being passed across the room out of the corner of her eye. It eventually reached her desk. She could see Nate staring at her hopefully, waiting for her reaction. Sighing, she unfolded the note, skimming it briefly. A frown slowly started forming on her face, her eyes narrowing.

 _Jenny my lovely,_

 _Your eyes take me to the depths of the bluest oceans._

 _Your hair sparkles like golden thread, catching my eyes and entangling my soul._

 _Your mind works like clockwork, analyzing all._

 _Your lips—_ Jenny stopped reading there. _Creep,_ she thought silently. _What an annoying bugger._

She shot him one of her ice cold glares, the kind that could make anyone tremble where they sat. Nate winced at that, and Teddy, who sat next to him, whispered something in his ear, which caused the messy haired boy to steam with sudden rage.

"NATE!" Screeched the loud, horribly familiar voice of Mrs Godfrey suddenly. All heads jerked to attention, Nate's included. You could practically _see_ the sweat rolling down his forehead as he stilled in his chair. He swallowed nervously.

Jenny noticed that Francis, who sat next to her, was secretly noting everything that happened out of the corner of his eye. Jenny thought she saw a small smirk come across his features as his friend was called out. However, soon after, Francis's eyes were once more strictly trained on his notes, pencil scribbling furiously.

Jenny wrinkled her nose as she caught a whiff of garlic breath with Mrs Godfrey's storming past her desk.

" _Nate_ , First and foremost, we do not pass notes _during class. Secondly_ ," and now she glared at Teddy, who had gone slightly stiff under her gaze. "We do not _Talk_ during lessons, especially if it will aggravate _others_ , causing a _distraction._ Are we clear boys?"

Both students gave numerous nods in return, until Mrs Godfrey turned away from them, Gaze settling onto Jenny instead.

"Jenny dear, would you mind reading to the class the contents of your received message?" She asked in her falsely sweet, ultimately _Evil_ voice. "Since according to _Nate_ here, that little note seems to be more important than our lesson on early Eukaryotic life."

If smoke could come out people's ears, Jenny was pretty sure her kettle was about to blow. Her face felt like a tomato. Yes, a tomato. Because if Mrs Godfrey went _any further_ with this, she was surely going to burst like one and end up puking her guts out. This was utterly _disgusting._

When she looked back at her desk, however, the note had mysteriously vanished. A warm feeling of relief washed over her. She honestly couldn't care less about what had happened to the stupid love letter, she was just glad that it was _out of her sight._ Jenny looked up at Mrs Godfrey, pulling on an innocent face that seemed to fool everyone. Sure, all the boys in school knew that she could kick ass when she wanted to, (Nate in particular) but she could fool any teacher into thinking she was an angel. "Sorry, what? I don't have a note." Mrs Godfrey frowned at that, but she didn't say anything afterwards, because she knew, like all the teachers in school did; Jennifer Ann Jenkins always told the truth. No matter what.

What Jenny didn't notice, however, was Randy sitting behind her, seemingly deep into his notes, which, if anyone cared to look, was highly uncharacteristic behavior of Randy. This was partially due to the fact that, he really wasn't even looking at his notes at all. This was also partially due to the fact that Randy was reading over Nate's Letter to Jenny, and contemplating what he could do with this prize information.


	2. The Second Note

**AN: Okay, so this chapter is also kind of short, sorry about that. Come to think of it, they might all end up being this length, if I keep updating frequently enough. This chapter is about Randy. Keep in mind, these guys are still in middle school or whatever, and Randy doesn't have feelings for Nate whatsoever, aside from him hating Nate's guts. Randy's character will probably be the most dynamic throughout the story. If you don't like him now, just wait.**

* * *

 _'Dear Nate. I hate your guts. I hope you go die in a hole. From Jenny.'_

Randy stared at what he'd written for a moment. How would Nate react to this? What was even the reaction he was hoping for? Funny, he hadn't really considered that, nor did he have much of a plan as to how to get a reaction _at all._

 _After all the thought I put into this stupid joke, I don't even have the basis of a plan!_ He flexed his wrists absentmindedly. It was actually pretty hard to mimic a girl's handwriting. It didn't help that Jenny's handwriting was neater than just about anybody else's in the school. Not that he had been studying her handwriting of course— a while back, a boy named Greg had been his right-hand man within his posse. At some point during that time, Greg started dating Jenny, and the two had passed love letters to one another like there was no tomorrow. Truthfully, Randy had found the whole process rather sickening. Worse, _he_ would be asked to play _messenger_ sometimes. Randy liked Greg and all, but even he had his limits. Randy was really quite prideful when it came down to it. And so, after passing gooey love notes for a few days, he decided that he'd had enough of Greg. Apparently Jenny felt the same, because she also dumped him, a week after he was exiled from Randy's posse.

Randy sighed. He withdrew the folded note from his pocket, glancing over it again. After reading it once more, he threw it on the floor with disgust, falling back on his bed with a groan of frustration. The movement was soon followed with another heavy sigh. Really, how thick could that dweeb lay it on in one letter? It was really disgusting, Randy thought, how Nate would hang onto Jenny's every word, following her around like a lovesick puppy. And now _love letters_? What, did the guy think he was _Shakespeare_ or something? Probably. He shook his head to himself, hand massaging his forehead. _He's so full of himself. I hate that. I hate him. I want to..._ Randy hesitated in thought. Well no, actually, he'd noted the idea nagging in the back of his mind... It had been there for some time now. But thinking it outright sounded very... Devious. Evil, even.

It didn't matter, Randy decided. He had already accepted long ago that he wasn't a good person. He narrowed his eyes, fisting the blankets in his hands. _I want to control him._ Yes, that did sound evil. He tried to cover it up with reasons. _He's always so chaotic, and clumsy. So arrogant, he needs someone to put him in his place. He doesn't listen to anyone... And we were friends once... Weren't we? I could control him then, when he was in my posse. I can do it again. I can control him..._ _I can..._

Randy could tell, however, that by this point in his thoughts, he was only trying to convince himself. Nate couldn't be controlled that easily, and that fact drove him crazy. It was because Nate's spirit would never, _could never,_ be crushed. Unless... Unless, something devastating... Some drastic form of disappointment, perhaps…

Randy grabbed the drafted note from his nightstand and stared at it for a moment. It sounded like Jenny alright... But Nate had to be used to that by now. Jenny turned _a lot_ of boys down, after all. Nate wasn't the only one. And Nate knew, as everyone else in school did, that Jenny was dating Artur. No, Randy would have to try his luck by somehow throwing Nate off guard. He had all the material he needed, right here. Now, he just needed to play it Wright. Randy chuckled to himself at his lame pun. But it was so true. He was going to play with Nate Wright, and he was going to have fun doing it; for an idea—a brilliant idea— had just come to mind.

After a moment's hesitation, he took out his pencil again, and replaced one word with a simple three lettered sign of affection. That would surprise Nate alright.

The letter now read:

 _'Dear Nate. I hate your guts. I hope you go die in a hole. XOX, Jenny.'_


	3. The Third Note

**AN: Another short chapter. Not much happens here, except for Nate's friends(and others) starting to realize what's going on. Francis's POV. Please leave reviews, they really encourage me. Thank you to Glaciem Pythonissam** **and Starmachine.**

 **(BTW: I don't actually know what the middle school Nate goes to is called; I just made that up. Cookies for anyone who can find the real answer.)**

 **That reminds me. I forgot a disclaimer.**

 **I don't own Big Nate peoples.**

* * *

Loud whooping could be heard echoing through the hallways of Pierce Middle school, as Nate pumped his fist into the air. He ran up to Francis excitedly, brown eyes shining. "She responded, Francis!" He shook his quiet friend out of his daze, as Francis was currently occupied with memorizing a particular geometric proof that he was struggling with.

Francis stumbled for a moment, before halting stride. He pushed his glasses back into place, and turned to Nate, an expression of confusion eminent on his face. "Who responded?" Francis secretly knew, of course. There was only one "she" person in school that could make Nate _this_ giddy with happiness. Quite honestly, if Francis didn't know his friend better, he would think that Nate was high on something. Well, high on euphoria, he supposed. That, and hormones.

Nate glared at his friend fleetingly. "Jenny, of course! My lovely angel simply can no longer evade my arrows of passion!" With this, he leaned in to whisper in Francis's ear. "This morning, she sent me a _locker note_." He sighed. "My beloved is afraid to confess her love to me openly, and yet, she still has her ways of letting me know." Nate spun around, looking practically dizzy with passion.

Francis stilled for a moment in surprise, before he started giggling softly. "If you don't mind my objecting, I don't see how a 'locker note' would be _possible_ , with the state _your_ locker is in."

Nate glanced at him, disregarding the comment. "Jenny will always find a way to reach me... She's smart enough to know my locker is hazardous to outsiders—She taped it on the outside, the smart lady." He grinned happily.

"mn," Francis grunted in response. He didn't really feel like arguing at the moment. Truthfully, he was still racking his brain for that one proof. Something involving alternate exterior—or was it interior? That was the part he couldn't quite place. Adjacent angles were supplementary, and vertical angles were congruent... He tried to draw up a mental map in his mind. However, before he could grasp his thoughts, Nate interrupted his thinking.

"Look, there she is!" He hissed to Francis, as Jenny passed them by in the hallway, not even giving so much as a glance towards either boy. Nate dumbly attempted to strike what was apparently a "cool" pose up against the wall, gesturing a small wave and wink in Jenny's direction. She still didn't look. After she had passed, Francis laughed. "I'd say she's absolutely besotted with passion for you," he joked sarcastically. Really, not much had changed. If anything, Francis thought, Jenny seemed if possible, _more_ icy than usual. Most days, she would at least say hello to Francis, serving only to annoy Nate. Today, however, she seemed to be avoiding him altogether. Francis figured it was most likely due to yesterday's note in class. Jenny was very prideful, after all. He seriously doubted that the return letter—if there _was_ actually a return letter—had been anything hopeful.

"Francis, do you have a sticky on you?" Nate asked suddenly, reaching up and snatching the pencil from its ledge atop Francis's ear, to which Francis jumped. Francis let out a tired sigh, before setting down his load, and obliging to withdrawing his rainbow pack of sticky notes from the back pouch of his backpack. Nate whooped again as he was handed the colorful pages, and set himself with the task of writing a hurried note on a red sticky note against the wall.

When Nate was finished, he turned back to Francis. "Now _I_ have a _locker note_ to deliver, to my Jenny dear," he gloated happily.

"What did her letter to you even say?" Francis asked skeptically. He still didn't see how locker notes was possible with his friends' locker. Even touching the thing could be like a mine bomb; he knew from his own bad experiences. Jenny would have no way of knowing that, of course... Francis stopped mid thought. Something about that didn't quite add up... If Jenny had never _seen_ Nate's locker, how would she know to put it on the outside, rather than slip it in with the rest of the junk? "...Nate?"

"Hm?" Nate asked distractedly. Jesus Christ, he was reading the stupid note to himself again. "Oh!" Nate whirled around again, apparently remembering that he'd been asked a question. "Oh, it's just something about her hating my guts... But she _did_ leave "XOX" at the end." He winked at his friend. "Well, Au revior, Francis! I have a _letter_ to deliver to ma douce Jenny!"

Nate dropped the pencil and sticky notes unceremoniously on the floor, (much to Francis's dismay) before running off.

Francis sighed. Nate only talked in French when he was either crazy in love, or else crazy confused. In this case, it was probably a mix of both.

"Something bothering you Fran?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

Francis turned around to see his... Third best friend, looking slightly concerned. "Oh, hey DeeDee." He glanced back at Nate, who was bolting down the hallway. _That idiot will trip and kill himself..._ "It's just my friend, chasing after some girl."

DeeDee raised an eyebrow. She didn't really know Nate and Teddy yet, but she did know, unlike Nate and Teddy, that Francis was gay. This was only due to the fact that Francis had met her when he went to the 'Q' group at school, which was pretty small. DeeDee was Pansexual, and was head of the club.

Francis shook his head quickly. "It's not like that," he said hurriedly. "I mean, I like someone else..." He blushed lightly. "I just think he's making a mistake..."

* * *

Nate was making a mistake. But... That was okay, in Randy's mind, as he saw the younger boy posting the message on Jenny's locker.

' _Dear Jenny. I actually hate your guts as well, though your fiery temper sets me reeling. XOX, Nate'_

 **AN: Terminology: Pansexual is kind of like being Bi, but instead, being open to all Genders and sexualities. This does not mean EVERYONE. People get that confused a lot. It just means that they're capable of having relationships with any gender or sexuality. Don't confuse it, because it will piss people off. :P Thank you! :)**


	4. Friends and Followers

**AN: Okay, so here's where things get a little less cannon, and I start making stuff up. Like DeeDee making an appearance, for example. I feel like she should play an important role in this fic, that's why I threw her in. I really like DeeDee. She's just cool. This is another Randy chapter, with some inner thoughts and past memories.**

* * *

' _Dear Jenny. I actually hate your guts as well, though your fiery temper sets me reeling. XOX, Nate.'_

Woah. That one actually surprised Randy. _Way to be blunt. How unromantic._ Randy sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had arrived at school slightly early today, so as not to be followed by his posse. Well, actually, he had arrived to school _on time._ He was usually late. However, there were five minutes left until role call at homeroom, and people were still filtering in. Most people were either talking outside the building (the cliques), already waiting at homeroom (the losers), studying in the library (the nerds), or else, late, like he and his posse usually were. (Obviously, the cool people.) Well. Not always. Nate was sometimes late as well, but he _definitely_ wasn't _cool._ The hallways were for the most part empty, in any case.

Except… Randy turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. _Ugh._ No, it wasn't Nate, or Jenny, or Teddy, or Francis, or even Chad. It was his _sister_ , which in some ways, was worse. Well. Technically _half sister_ , but… Nobody pays attention to technicalities anymore, do they? He shot her the look that he always did at school. The one that plainly said: _Don't be seen with me._ _Ever._

Of course, DeeDee didn't pay note. She started to open her mouth to say something, but Randy stopped her with a growl.

"What do _you_ want, _Drama queen_?" he snarled in his meanest voice.

DeeDee giggled softly. "You know, you're a pretty good actor yourself, _Drama king._ Not fooling me though." She grinned. "Who's the note for?" Her eyes were practically glowing with the prospect of possible drama. Randy _really_ hated her. _Oh god how he hated her._ Whenever they were at school, they had both made a silent agreement to A. Not talk to each other, (At least not in front of others) and B. Pretend they weren't related in any way, shape or form.

DeeDee sometimes "forgot" about that agreement.

"That's none of your business," Randy said grumpily.

DeeDee didn't say anything, but Randy could tell her cogs were turning. By this point, he could be pretty certain of what she was thinking, too. _Secret letters? Ooh, now that's drama! Maybe it's loooovvveee? Squee! Na, actually I doubt Randy would ever be able to get a girlfriend. Ha!_

As it turned out, Randy was pretty spot on with his speculations on DeeDee's thoughts.

"Get out of my way," Randy said suddenly, and pushed DeeDee back. A few members of his posse had just rounded the corner, and were heading their way, too distracted in conversation to notice DeeDee… Yet. Thankfully, DeeDee took the hint and left. Randy breathed a sigh of relief. He really did not plan on being shown up by his sister. Not now, especially not in front of his friends—if you could call them that. They were more like followers, if he was honest with himself. That was just the thing. Followers would leave you if you got shown up. Tight little bunches of dorks, like that of Nate's group… Wouldn't. The last real friend that Randy had had moved away in the middle of his fifth grade year. That was when he had started his posse. Nate thought he was a cool guy, back then. But Nate wanted friends, not followers; and he _certainly_ wouldn't stand for being a follower _himself_. No, Nate had bailed. That _really_ annoyed Randy. Of all his followers, the members of his crew… Nate had been the most… Loyal. Passionate. And unfortunately, the only one with a good sense of humor, it seemed. Randy had never quite understood Nate's reasons for leaving, but there were _occasionally_ times when he wished that Nate hadn't. _Occasionally._ He made sure to stress that point to himself. Nowadays, Nate was just a pain in his back; or fist, more like. The kid had a hard head, Randy knew, from one bad experience. Randy stuck to shoving Nate from there on, and left the fist work for people like Chester. Two years ago, he probably wouldn't be bullying Nate at all, Randy thought sourly. Of course, it was different back then. Back then; they could have almost… been good friends.

Almost. Except followers aren't friends, and people who don't follow, people who were once friends— will soon become enemies if you let them stray. Randy didn't like having enemies. Therefore, he could not afford to have friends. Strategically, Randy thought, it would be better to have followers.

As he walked to his first period class, he watched from afar as Nate and Teddy went past, laughing over some joke between them. He didn't bother them, however, though a few of his followers called out lame insults. _Morons on one side, dorks on the other,_ Randy thought, feeling dissatisfactory. He didn't comment on the stupid jokes his posse made about Nate. If any of them noticed that this was unusual behavior of Randy, they didn't comment either.

* * *

 **AN: Oh my Randy, you know nothing about friendship, you poor child. So, erm, yeah. DeeDee is Randy's sister. (Ahem.** _ **Half**_ **-sister, excuse me.) DeeDee will probably be able to help her big bro open up a bit and realize his feelings… Eventually. She'll also probably help spice up the drama! ;)**


	5. Mr Trash-Talker

**AN: This fic takes place probably a little before "Goes for Broke" Just FYI. Also, I might have had the time sequencing a little off in previous chapters. It's hard to believe the whole series takes place in one year. :P Hope you all enjoy! I love reviews!**

* * *

' _Dear Nate, You can really talk trash. If you hate my guts, then why don't you just leave me alone? You're horrible. XOX, Jenny.'_

Randy waited until most people had left the school before deciding to deliver his message. That was what he had done the last time, after all. It was better if he wasn't seen. For some reason, he still hadn't let the rest of his posse in on his prank yet. It seemed somehow more personal. He, Randy Betancourt, would personally crush Nate's spirit. Nate definitely deserved it.

Actually, Nate and his friends were still at school, currently; or on school grounds, rather. All three of them were outside on the playing field—building _snowmen_. Jeez. What losers. No, on second thought, Nate's didn't even _look_ like a snowman. It was just some weird _structure_ out of snow, like an abstract form of art or something. Randy frowned from his view through the classroom window. Well… It looked sort of cool, in it's own way, he supposed. The sculpture reminded him a bit of a symbol from a video game he used to play. He drummed his fingers on the window ledge absentmindedly.

"Randy? What're you still doing here?"

Randy whirled at the voice of Ms. Clarke from behind him. She doesn't look upset… Just surprised, to find a student—And _Randy Betancourt_ of all students— still in the classroom. _And why doesn't he have his little gang with him?_ she wondered to herself. Randy just stared at her for a moment, before he shrugged, and left the room without another word. He had a message to deliver, after all.

Ms. Clarke stared after him for a moment, before looking out the window to see Nate and his friends. _Why was he watching Nate?_ she thought with some worry. She wasn't blind; she knew that Nate and Randy were enemies. Most likely, Randy was plotting something against the other student. That didn't settle well in her mind, as she was packing up her things to leave the school.

* * *

Randy cautiously approached Nate's locker. He could swear, if inanimate objects had feelings, this _particular_ locker had _some grudge_ against him. It had avalanche dumped him on more than one occasion, after all. Randy had never seen a messier locker in his entire _life_ — and that was saying something, because he'd seen quite a few. One of his group member's lockers always had a bunch of misshapen pencils in it that kept falling out. The gym lockers always smelled like stinky armpits and old socks. In fact, there had been one occasion where one of them had burst open, spilling onto the floor what looked like a full load of dirty laundry. Then his own locker used to have this sticky soda stain on it left there from the last kid who'd used it. That was gross… They were _all_ gross… But Nate's locker wasn't so much _gross…_ It was just a horrible _mess._

The last time he had delivered the note, the locker had given off an ominous shudder as he had taped the note to the outside, just hidden, wedged within one of the slots. This time, he had forgotten tape. He glanced back down the hallway to Ms Clarke's room to see her locking the door before leaving the building. _Just great. I should've borrowed tape from her room while I was in there…_ Randy glanced down at the note, before deciding that he would have to make due without tape. After folding the note a few more times to add width, he carefully stuffed it into one of the locker's vents. It was still visible though. Randy frowned, silently cursing himself for being so picky about these sorts of things. He reached up and jammed the note in slightly further.

And then he heard a definitive, sickening, _horrible,_ ' _click.'_

 _SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

… _Ow…_ Randy's head had been slammed into the locker door swinging open, while his body had quickly been buried chest deep in Nate's locker trash. Randy wrinkled his nose. _Please, not AGAIN._ Thankfully for Randy, however, this time, he had no spectators.

The brunette let out a long sigh, clutching his aching forehead. What was all this stuff anyways? He glanced around him at the crumpled note book pages, empty cheese doodle wrappers, pencil shavings, dirty socks, last night's science homework? Or was it from two weeks back? It all looked similar, there was _so much of it._ There was also a few stuffed animals, a really scary Halloween mask, a practical joke kit, a dog leash, a pink sweater with flowers on it— _What the heck? Has he ever worn this thing himself?—_ a bunch of doodles and comics, a pair of drumsticks, some… dried up moldy green beans, that looked like they were from the beginning of the year… _Eww._

Randy quickly waded out of the mess, not wanting to find out what else was in there. It was really disgusting. Near the edge of the mess were most of the doodled comics. Randy picked one up. Nate could actually be pretty funny at times, he remembered. _Here's one about Gina… Mrs. Godfrey…_ Randy chuckled. Yeah, Nate was pretty funny. He dug deeper into the pile. You could tell some of this stuff had been sitting in here for quite a while. _Wait, this one's Titled "REVENGE"._ Intrigued as to who Nate would want revenge on, Randy picked it up. He read it. _Wait…_ And then he laughed. _Is that supposed to be ME?_ He reread it, and laughed some more. _What?! SERIOUSLY, WHAT?!_ Randy stepped backward out of surprise, and slipped on something gross, falling on top of the trash pile. For once though, he honestly _couldn't care_. This was truly. The funniest. Thing. In the world.

 _How Randy might try to get even._

' _Locker treatment?'_ Randy snorted. This must have been made a few months back, he thought to himself.

' _High-low'?_ Randy couldn't stop laughing at the image.

 _The 'Pig Pile'_ Looked pretty funny too…

 _The 'Swirly?' He doesn't think I'm that cliché, does he?_ Randy snickered. This was embarrassing. He truly couldn't stop laughing over this. He really _couldn't_ , and it was sort of freaky, hearing himself laugh so much. _I must look like a total doofus right now…_ At least no one was around to see it.

Except… Randy heard footsteps coming from somewhere down the hallway. They stop abruptly. Randy knew he was being stared at, so he didn't look, but he instantly stopped laughing. He also knew exactly _who_ was staring at him. _Crap._ Inhaling briefly, he calmly stood up, and walked away red faced, throwing an insult over his shoulder as he went.

"You're such a _pig_. I thought _lockers_ were supposed to actually _lock. Or at least STAY SHUT!"_ It was too late for him to be trash talking, he knew.

Nate had seen it all.

Randy would never hear the end of it.


	6. Dread

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, Fans. Things get a little more interesting in this chapter. Rated T+ :3 Enjoy.**

Nate Stared. _Was that… Randy Betancourt?!_

"Um…" Francis tapped his shoulder.

Nate brushed him off, shaking his head. It _couldn't_ be. He held up his hand, silencing his friend's efforts to interrupt. "If I just saw what I think I just saw, then my middle name is Godfrey," he muttered bemusedly.

Francis stared down the hallway. "The last thing you need is a horrible middle name, Nate. Because trust me, Nate Godfrey Wright, you _definitely_ saw it. I saw it too." He snickered, leaning in to whisper in Nate's ear. "And to think, I though _my_ middle name was horrible."

"Wait, what is your middle name?" Teddy asked from right behind them, apparently having snuck up and overheard. Nate and Francis both flinched in surprise. Francis reddened slightly, turning to glance at Teddy, looking slightly guilty. "Um… I'll tell you later," he muttered, cheeks flushed.

Teddy raised an eyebrow, but didn't question. Then he looked back to Nate, who was jogging down the hallway to his spilled locker contents. _Woah, what happened?_ "Jenny isn't buried under there, is she?" he joked to Francis, who shook his head. "No, but Randy must have hit his head very _very_ hard."

* * *

Nate thoroughly went through the pile of garbage—no, _not_ garbage!— spilled onto the tiles of the hallway. If there was any chance that Jenny _had_ written a response, then he was going to find it. The fact that Randy had been there… Wait, what if Randy had taken the letter? A feeling of cold dread began to sink into Nate's heart, and a hard lump formed in his throat. Randy would do that sort of thing, wouldn't he? He would have to get that letter back… Or else… _What if Randy tries to impersonate me?_ Funny, a week ago, he would have found the notion laughable. Randy Betancourt, trying to impersonate his worse enemy. A smile tugged at his lips, though it didn't squash the awful feeling in his gut. He would have to get that letter back, no matter the cost.

* * *

Randy kept reading that one comic. In fact, he read it so many times, he had even memorized Nate's art style. It was late at night, and he was lying in bed, reading the comic by moonlight that shone in through his window. Eventually, his eyes grew too tired, and he faded into a rather eventful sleep.

 _Randy was shoving Nate inside of his locker, and locking him in for the rest of the day. "There's plenty of room!" Periodically, Randy would go to his locker and slip a note inside from Jenny. Periodically, he would also see a note sticking out of the locker slots for him to take. At the end of the day, Randy let Nate out, and dragged him out the door and behind the building, where he slammed the other boy into the brick wall of the school. Nate let out a brief whimper, wincing, and Randy smirked. He didn't beat Nate up though. He felt satisfied, because he had caught Nate, and Nate was helpless. Vulnerable. Then Nate met his gaze, and all of a sudden, Randy wasn't so sure. Nate's eyes were like fire. Angry yet passionate. "I know it's you," Nate said angrily. "You've been pretending to be Jenny!"_

" _If you knew, then why have you been responding?" Randy growled. He stepped closer. Nate didn't say anything more, but his eyes were still ablaze._

" _What's the difference, Nate?" Randy taunted, getting closer. Then, for some reason,(Because you never know why you do random things in dreams) Randy pressed Nate against the side of the building and kissed him. Nate whined into the kiss, trying to push Randy back, but Randy wouldn't let him go. He grasped Nate's wrists and pinned him, deepening the kiss, enjoying feeling his enemy squirm in his hold. Completely vulnerable. Nate started making different noises, like a girl; all sorts of whimpers and whines and moans… Randy's imagination started playing with his dream, making Nate appear more feminine. Randy remembered hooking a thumb into the rim of Nate's jeans, being completely turned on._

Then the dream faded, as Randy jolted himself awake, to find his body hot and hard, the room dark, and his sheets slightly wet. He flushed to himself, silently sweat dropping. _My first wet dream… With Nate?_ A feeling of dread overcame him. _It was just a dream,_ he reminded himself. _Just a weird, stupid… Wet, dream._ That left another question on his mind. _How do I clean this up?_ Randy sighed, getting out of bed. To top it off, he was the only _guy_ in the house. It wasn't like his mom or DeeDee would understand… Randy flushed. _Just perfect._

At the age of thirteen, Randy was the oldest kid in the sixth grade. In fact, he was even older than some of the _eighth graders,_ this being due to the fact that he'd been held back a year at some point during early schooling. So he happened to be a little more mature than the other sixth graders, and was also seen as pretty cool. And, although he'd never actually, well, _Done it_ , he knew a lot more about hooking up than most kids do in middle school. Except… He'd never really taken an interest in anyone before. Randy frowned at his bed. That stupid comic was lying on his pillow. He took it, crumpled it in one fist, and threw it in the recycling bin. _Stupid._


	7. The Heist Part 1

**AN: So here we have some more humor, and a little adventure. For those who were possibly wondering, Francis does have a crush on Teddy. Please leave reviews… They really motivate me. I'm not kidding; they make my day. Thank you Starmachine. Also, the beginning might not make sense at first. Basically, Nate wants the letter back.**

It was around four in the morning when Teddy and Francis arrived groggily at Nate's doorstep.

"This is stupid," Teddy muttered tiredly.

Francis nodded his agreement, but was too tired to say anything. If he opened his mouth, he was afraid a yawn would escape him. He hadn't gone to sleep until 1:00, because he'd been working on the history assignment due the next day. Despite his orderly appearance, even Francis procrastinated at times. Three hours of sleep however… It simply wasn't enough. The average human body needed at least eight hours of sleep on average to remain fully healthy, he remembered.

Teddy sighed, letting out a large yawn. After that, Francis couldn't help but yawn as well. Yawns were contagious, after all.

"What's the time?" Teddy asked, taking Francis's wrist in his hand to see his watch, which happened to glow in the dark. Francis had a secret passion for things that glowed in the dark. It was rather childish, but he had started collecting all sorts of glow-in-the-dark things a few years back, and he still maintained that obsession. _It's too early, that's what time it is,_ Francis thought to himself, as he blushed lightly at Teddy's touch. It was so dark out that there was no one to see this, however.

There was a sudden noise from above them, and Teddy backed out from under the porch roof to see what it was. Francis followed cautiously. He really didn't like raccoons much.

It was hard to see anything, but both boys could make out the small silhouette running across the flat of the roof. The shadow picked up speed, before making a heroic jump from the roof to the nearby tree, where it swung from the swaying branch.

Teddy whistled softly. "Pretty sick," he muttered, slightly in awe.

 _"Psst! You guys! Help me get down!"_

Francis sighed softly, barely containing his yawn. He and Teddy ambled tiredly over to the tree trunk, looking up to where their friend hung, maybe twenty feet in the air. " _What do you want us to do genius?_ " Francis hissed up at his friend.

 _"Umm… Be prepared to catch me?"_

Francis immediately backed out, leaving Teddy standing under the tree. Teddy shot him a silent look of dismay.

 _Sorry…_

 _"Don't worry dude, I've got this!"_ Nate fumbled for a moment, still hanging onto the branch precariously, before he managed to swing something… A rope? —Over the tree branch. It fell to the ground, and Teddy took one end uncertainly.

 _"Great! So you take that end and lower me down, okay?"_

Teddy swallowed. Taking the rope around his waist, he picked up the slack. _"Okay…"_

Nate grabbed the rope in one hand carefully. Francis eyed the procedure from a distance. Was it just his imagination, or were there glowing eyes in the tree that Nate was in? He shook himself, feeling uneasy. _No. It's just your imagination. You're still half asleep._ He looked again. The eyes were still there. Yep, something was definitely in that tree with Nate. It was slowly climbing out onto the branch, too… "Hey…" he said suddenly, not bothering to whisper. Teddy turned to him. _"What?"_

 _'Meow?'_

The next few seconds were a disaster. There was a high-pitched scream, a gigantic crash, an "OW!" and the frightened screech of a cat falling out of a tree.

"AHHH! GET IT OFF ME!"

Something hissing and spitting was suddenly hurled through the air and into the bush next to Francis, causing him to jump in alarm. _What the…_

 _"Dude, you just_ THREW A CAT!" Teddy yelled, highly irritated, not to mention slightly bruised, with a major headache. He slowly stood up, offering Nate a hand, who was still frightened and bruised up on the grass, visibly shaken.

"Y-yeah, so WHAT?! I'm more of a _dog person, thank you very much!"_ Nate let out a shuttering sigh, Taking Teddy's hand. Teddy shoved him, once he was on his feet again. "That was a _brilliant idea_ , 007. Got any _more?_ "

"How about getting out of here?" Francis interrupted. The light in Nate's dad's room had suddenly flickered on.

Nate and Teddy turned around to see the light on, immediately silenced. Then Teddy grabbed Nate's arm, and ran, dragging him off the property and into the neighbor's yard, where they were out of view.

"HEY!" Francis whirled around, seeing his friends disappear from sight. "WAIT FOR—" He stopped abruptly, as the rest of the house lights turned on, one by one. _Take one for the team Francis. You can do this._ The front door swung open, showing a very tired, grumpy looking Mr. Wright. Francis stepped forward uneasily. _Take one for the team. Take one for the team._ Wait, what was he planning on saying anyways?

 _Wow. He doesn't look too happy._ Francis gulped.

As Teddy and Nate ran through the neighborhood in the dark, rope trailing on the ground behind them, Teddy couldn't help but ask Nate again. _"Again, why are you planning on robbing Randy's house?"_

Nate snorted. _"I'm not stealing anything, Teddy. I'm just taking back what's mine! I have to get Jenny's letter!"_

 _"What?!"_

Oh right. Teddy didn't know about the letters, Nate reminded himself. _"I'll explain later."_

Teddy punched him in the shoulder angrily.

 _"I SAID, I'll explain later!"_

"Francis?"

"Hi Mr. Wright," Francis laughed nervously. "Uh… Sorry about that… Late night prank, you see…" Francis didn't get to finish his sentence, before Nate's dad cut him off. "Go tzo bed Francis," he mumbled, seeming to be still half asleep. Possibly drunk, even. "You'vv gots a big day tomorrow… Gonna go winthe race…" The door suddenly slammed shut. The lights went out, one by one. Francis stared for a moment. _Win the race? What? Was he still asleep or something?_ He let out a long sigh of relief. _Wow. That means…_ It suddenly hit him. He couldn't believe his luck! Nate's dad hadn't found out! Francis had thought they would be found out for sure!

His relief didn't last long, however.

 _I'm alone._

 _In the dark._

 _With a feral cat prowling around, and god knows what else._ Francis suddenly took off; bolting down the sidewalk in the direction his friends had gone.

In the house across the street, a light flickered on. Screaming in the night? Well this had gone too far. Mr. Wright would have to know about this.


	8. The Heist Part 2

**AN: Ah poor Francis… And poor Teddy... You'll see why… But this chapter is good. :) Please review!**

* * *

When Teddy knocked on Randy Betancourt's door at 4:34am, there was an eerie silence that answered him. _Of course they wouldn't answer. They're not awake yet. Nobody would be awake at this hour!_ He risked a quick glance to the tall maple tree that stood out from the back yard. Maple trees were good for climbing, and the location couldn't have worked better. He had to admit, for once, it seemed, Nate had lucked out.

In fact, as he looked, Nate's figure came into view, quickly ascending to the perfect spot on the tree— right outside a window. What's more, there was a branch extending just under the roof edge, providing easy access. _So many things could go wrong,_ Teddy thought, shaking his head to himself. And yet, They seemed to be off to a good start. It would appear that luck was on their side tonight. _We're going to need all the luck we can get._

He was about to knock again, when he heard noises from inside. Feet coming towards the door... Skipping? And singing. _Huh?_ Very _loud_ singing. Teddy thought it might be a song from some musical.

The door suddenly swung open, slamming into Teddy, forcefully knocking him off the front steps. "Good Morning!" Sang a cheerful voice. A girl in pink sequin pajamas with frizzy dark hair skipped out and offered him a hand from where he was sprawled on his back in the grass.

Teddy opened his eyes. _Woah. A girl. Repeat. WOAH. a really CUTE girl._ He blushed, taking her hand. "Um... H-hi..." He stammered awkwardly. _I don't have any experience with girls! What do I say?! Wait... I know her from somewhere... Don't I?_ "Don't I... Know y-"

"Nope!" The girl chirped happily, cutting him off. "I'm a _complete stranger."_ Her eyes narrowed suddenly, looking menacing. " _And we're not supposed to talk to strangers, ARE WE NOW?"_ She practically hissed.

Teddy fell back down in alarm. _Woah, scary! She could be a villain or something! How did she go from Pinkie Pie to Maleficent?!_

" _Now then..."_ The girl smiled cheerfully once more. "Do you mind telling me what you're doing on my doorstep, Teddy Ortiz?"

 _Huh? How does she know my name?!_ "Uh... Um..."

" _Wait!_ Don't tell me." The girl narrowed her eyes again, glaring down at him. Then... " _I_ know! You're a _decoy_ , aren't you?" She jabbed a finger at him angrily, nearly poking him in the eye. "Which means..." She turned around slowly, still pointing her finger at Teddy threateningly. " _Don't move."_

Teddy wasn't going anywhere. In fact, he was shaking. _Shit she's scary... What did I get myself into..._ He closed his eyes. Then he heard the girl sigh dramatically.

"...What is that idiot _doing_?"

Teddy opened his eyes. The girl was looking at the rooftop. She had seen Nate.

She spun on him suddenly. "I was _right!_ You _were_ a decoy!" She shouted, grinning triumphantly. Then, without another word, she left Teddy lying in the grass, and ran back inside.

Teddy felt like he had a massive headache. It was just his luck he would fall for a girl like that. It was almost more hopeless than Nate dating Jenny. _Urgh. I can't be seen with her, she'll probably scare everyone off! She'll probably scare_ me _off, come to think of it..._

* * *

Nate couldn't believe his luck. He couldn't believe he was actually _doing_ something like this, actually. _I must be out of my mind..._ This was all for Jenny, he silently reminded himself. Jenny, who hated his guts, Jenny, who wished he would go die in a hole, Jenny who had been kicking him around since the first grade... In that aspect, was Jenny so different from Randy? Nate laughed to himself. Jenny, who had signed _'XOX'_ on letters. As if Randy would do something like that.

With a nimble swing up to the next tree branch, Nate suddenly stilled, gripping the maple branch tightly. He was now level with the flat of the roof. No, it wasn't only that, which caused his heart rate to quicken, while his breath went still. He was staring directly into... _Randy's_ window.

 _I can see Randy inside. He's sleeping. Woah. That was like… Creepy stalker thinking. I must be weirder than I thought._

Nate cautiously edged his way onto the roof, making sure to maintain his silence. The shingles were like sandpaper, and they crunched beneath his sneakers. Nate winced. He kept expecting someone to hear that. The night had a spooky quietness about it that he _really_ didn't like. Quite honestly, it gave him the shivers. Nate wasn't used to quiet.

Then he heard voices talking from the yard. Teddy was talking to someone... The high pitched voice of a girl sounded in the night... _What? He can't get distracted with girls now, of all times! We don't have the time! I'll be found out, and Randy will pound me when he finds out…_

Starting to panic, Nate tried the window. That was where his luck started running out. The window was locked. He looked back to Teddy, trying to signal that there was a problem. No luck. Teddy was still preoccupied, talking to that _girl._ Ugh. _Teddy!_ He thought silently. He stood up, urgently motioning to his friend, in attempt to claim his attention. _Stay on the job! I need you!_ Nate sighed heavily, and clenched his fists on the windowsill, willing it to open. He soon regretted making that wish, however. The only warning he received was the shadow crossing his range of vision... Before the window _did open._

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_?"


	9. We need to talk

**AN: Enjoy, and please review! I'm also planning on starting another Big Nate Story, for any who are interested.**

* * *

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Nate's stomach lurched at the slightly groggy, bemused, and irritated voice of Randy Betancourt. There was a twisting feeling in his gut as he turned slowly towards the window. _Okay, time to get out of here,_ he thought, eyes glancing over Randy briefly, momentarily locking onto his gaze.

The other boy looked really... Annoyed. Annoyed? Not angry, furious, devious? No. Annoyed, sleepy, and, above all... very confused. It was only then that Nate realized his feet weren't moving like they were supposed to. _I need to be getting out of here! Once Randy has has posse to back him up, who knows what they'll do to me?!_ Nate's luck seemed to have run out, however. It was as if his feet were definitively glued to the rooftop, stuck firmly in place. Even as he heard the front door of Randy's house slam shut, and his heart rate quickened in alarm... Even as the cold winter air left goosebumps on his arms and legs, biting right through his sweater... Even as he was dangerously close to a patch of ice that looked quite hazardous... For the life of him, Nate found himself unable to move; completely immobilized by Randy's gaze.

"Hey," Randy snapped suddenly, Breaking Nate out of his daze. Nate's breath caught in his throat, as he was suddenly grabbed by the neck of his shirt. _I'm done for._ The window was shoved open wider. Before he knew it, Nate was being pulled inside. "H-HEY!" He yelled, starting to struggle, as Randy dragged him across the floor. "LET ME—"

"Be _quiet,_ idiot," Randy hissed, cutting him off mid complaint. Randy pulled Nate to his feet so he could stand properly. "Look, you need to get out of sight. _Now."_ Taking Nate's arm, Randy led Nate to his closet, where he shoved the younger unceremoniously inside. Once inside, Nate stupidly pounded on the door. _"Lemmeouft!"_ Came his muffled voice. Randy growled, putting his face close to the door as he held it, so as to whisper back; _"Look, you've got to be quiet, or you'll be found. If you're quiet, I won't hurt you for breaking into my own fu*king_ house _."_

Nate muttered something sounding like: _"You'refa wunoo pullme inside"_

Right. Randy couldn't care less. He could hear his sister pounding up the stairs. He stepped away from his closet suddenly, making a dive for his bed, as the door suddenly swung open.

"RANDY!" DeeDee shrieked dramatically(as if there was any other way to say it), rushing over to his bed to violently shake his shoulder.

Randy was sprawled out atop his comforter, an arm hanging haphazardly off the bed, face buried into a pillow, and the pillow wet with drool for added affect. Randy was a pretty good actor too, when it came down to it. In fact, probably better than DeeDee herself, seeing as his sister almost never suspected when he was pulling off an act.

"RANDY!" DeeDee screamed once more, forcefully flipping him over onto his back, wrenching his arm backwards in the process.

"OW!" Randy yelled, sitting up suddenly and moving his other hand as if to slap her. He didn't though. He stopped his hand, bringing it into a fist, to lightly knock DeeDee's head aside, in an almost playful manner. DeeDee knew that was a warning though. She stepped back, sucking in her breath. Randy knew that she wanted to spill her words. Really _really_ bad. "What." He deadpanned. He immediately regretted it.

"Randy, we're being ROBBED!" DeeDee gasped out. "I saw a STRANGE MAN up on the roof—He could have KILLED you!"

In response, Randy exhaled heavily. "How do you know we're being robbed?" He asked calmly. DeeDee hated this sort of thing. DeeDee lived for the stage, and talked off of improv. What Randy was doing right now, in questioning— That was called "Blocking", according to DeeDee's acting terminology. "Blocking" wasn't allowed in improv.

"But—" DeeDee faltered for a second. "But there was a MAN on our ROOF! Right outside _your window!_ He could have KILLED you!"

Randy stared her in the eye. "If this so-called "Strange Man" was outside _my_ window... Then don't you think Iwould have heard him? Or, at the very least, Femme would have." He gestured to the large ginger cat fast asleep in the corner of the room. Femme had once held the spirit and character of her heroic namesake, but after a many years, she had become old and tired, and slept through the greater portion of twenty four hours. This did not make her any less alert, however. She had noted Nate's presence. Perhaps even before Randy had himself. But, as tired old cats often do, she chose to ignore him, deciding he was not much of a threat. With that, she had gone back to sleep. Randy doubted Nate had even realized there was another animal in the room.

DeeDee opened her mouth again... And then closed it. Then she opened it again. "Don't blame ME, when you get STABBED IN YOUR SLEEP," she said exasperatedly. With that, she stormed out of the room. Randy waited. He knew that his stupid snooping sister would probably be listening at the door. He couldn't have Nate come out of the closet, much less have him make noise. Not now, when there was the risk of DeeDee finding him. Worst case scenario, she finds him, yells for mom, makes the whole situation overly dramatic, and calls the police.

Randy's eyes wandered to the closet door, which was slowly... Starting... To swing open...

Nate poked his head out, and Randy glared at him, silently gesturing to remain inside. Nate stuck his tongue out, but disappeared back inside, leaving Randy to contemplate the situation.

 _Okay, let's get things straight. Nate Wright is in my closet. He was previously on my roof, at night, for who knows what reason. I still need to get Jenny's letter to him..._ Wait, was that why Nate was here? Was it all for a stupid letter? Randy's breath caught. Had Nate _found out?!_ _Then... Why is he here, in the middle to the night...?_ The Brunette exhaled slowly. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

When Randy heard footsteps outside his door receding, he risked opening the closet door again. Upon opening, he was surprised by Nate falling onto him, fast asleep. Randy reddened slightly, as Nate leaned into him in his sleep, a small moan of contentment escaping him.

 _Not exactly "coming out of the closet" in the way that I wanted..._ Randy thought, rolling his eyes to himself at the irony. He hoisted Nate by his armpits to carry him rather awkwardly to the bed, where he lay him down on the end.

Randy leaned over Nate, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Hey, wake up."

The other boy sighed softly, instead rolling over and onto his stomach. He inhaled deeply, before sighing again happily. Then he stayed like that. Just... Breathing. In and out. In and out. Randy stared. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to _do_.

Something in Randy's brain clicked suddenly. _Wake him up. He's not supposed to be here._ Randy took Nate's shoulder again lightly. "Hey Dweeb." He shook Nate a bit more, which received a grunt.

When Nate did finally wake up, he didn't freak out. He didn't even seem surprised, actually, which really annoyed Randy. _Why am I the one freaking out here?! He's in my house! He could at least be surprised or something! Why is he getting so… Comfortable?!_ Nate simply turned onto his back again, opened his eyes, and steadily met Randy's gaze. "We need to talk."


End file.
